Victor Odhiambo, the founder of Garden of Hope, a nonprofit located in the Kibera slum of Kenya, made #GivingTuesday hyperlocal. He shares his strategy with you in this Q+A.
A: In order to identify with our community, Garden of Hope Foundation used the hashtags #GivingTuesdayKibera and #KiberaStories. We looked for a form of communication that the community could identify with online and offline. This is because we are located in this community and we wanted the people to be part of this campaign. Additionally, we wanted to encourage the community to share their giving stories. This was also the first #GivingTuesday event being held in Kibera, so the hashtags also helped in raising awareness about different people who are committed to supporting the community.
A: Online, we shared stories of local, ordinary people committed to supporting their community via social media. By sharing these stories, we want to feature ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Offline, we organized an event where residents came to read stories of locals who are supporting the community. This promoted community philanthropy.
A: We incorporated the community on two levels. One: We looked at opportunities for our volunteer and staff to offer their services to local businesses. In return, they would share the work we do with customers. We also asked the local businesses to support us in fundraising. Two: We involved the community by selling the items our students had made.
A: The most exciting aspect of celebrating #GivingTuesday in Kenya was partnering with local businesses. We offered services to these businesses and asked them to support us as best they could. The partnership offered us an opportunity to share #GivingTuesday with a wider audience and share the work we are doing. We also introduced the aspect of community philanthropy by encouraging the local residents to volunteer their skills and resources to various projects in their community.
A: I had a conversation with a few organizations about #GivingTuesday and asked them what they wanted on this day. Most of them said they wanted to raise more money for their charities. While this is a good goal, I would like people to know that #GivingTuesday is an opportunity for your organization to encourage community philanthropy, as well as target those members of your community who don’t have money, but can volunteer their skills. #GivingTuesday is also about partnerships. I would like to encourage people to leverage the partnerships by co-hosting events with other community organizations available in your country or community.
A: We fundraised through GlobalGiving because it offers various options to raise money. For example, in Kenya people donate through mobile money which is available on GlobalGiving. In addition, GlobalGiving has a user friendly platform for both nonprofit partners and donors.
Featured Photo: Educate 500 Youths from Kibera Slum In Kenya by Garden of Hope Foundation
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